Just Baking

One thing that I love about summer, other than the sunny skies, are all the fresh berries that I can bake with. One fruit that excites me more that the strawberry is the blueberry.  These small gems can be made into a multitude of different delectable desserts, one being Blueberry Crumble Bars. These bars are exactly what the name implies - juicy blueberries nestled underneath a sweet brown sugar crumble. If you’re looking for a dessert the is reminiscent of blueberry pie without actually having to make one, this may be for you.

The bar consists of a brown sugar crust that is simply mixed in a bowl. The blueberry filling is easy to pull together since the fruit requires no cutting, peeling, or slicing. Wash, toss, and you’re done. The crumble is my favourite part of the whole bar. I love the sugary crunchiness it imparts, which goes well with the juicy berries. In less than an hour, you have a pretty tasty treat.

Overall, I give these bars a thumbs-up. The only issue I have is with the crust, which I found to be very thin. When patting it into the pan, I had barely enough to cover the whole bottom. Call me old-fashioned, but I like a substantial crust that holds the filling without falling apart. If I had doubled the recipe, maybe I would have got what I wanted, but no matter. I also found the texture of the crust to be crunchy in a maple candy sort of way. A little bit grainy. It was by no means inedible and would have probably tasted fabulous crumbled on top of creamy vanilla ice cream.

Blueberry Crumble Bars

Crust

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

Blueberry Filling

3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tbsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
2 cups blueberries

Crumb Topping

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
6 tbsp (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted

Crust:

Position a rack in the centre of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Grease bottom and sides of a 9 x 13-inch baking pan.

In small bowl, stir together the flour and salt; set aside.

In bowl of an electric mixer, using the paddle attachment, beat the butter and brown sugar at medium speed until combined, about 1 minute. At low speed, add the flour mixture and mix until just crumbly.

Pat the dough evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan.

Make the Filling:

In medium bowl, combine the sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, and ginger. Add the blueberries and toss well to coat. Spread blueberry mixture evenly over the crust.

Make the Topping:

In medium bowl, stir together the flour, sugars, cinnamon, and salt until blended. Stir in the melted butter until the mixture comes together. Sprinkle topping evenly over the blueberry filling.

Bake the bars for 48 to 50 minutes, until the topping is lightly browned and the filling is bubbling. Cool the bars completely in the pan on a wire rack.

Cut into 24 bars.

Source: The Good Cookie, 2002